Naruto, Summoner of Humans
by Stigma
Summary: Naruto stumbles across an ancient scroll and unwittingly becomes the newest summoner of the summoning realm's darkest secret. Nothing can stand in his way with this newfound power, but he soon comes to realize why it was hidden for so many centuries...
1. Prologue in the Dark

Alright.

Hey ya'll. I'm back for the moment. Work goes... well, it goes.

One of you readers out there suggested that working on this is a good way to break pace with neverending work. Well, you were right (you know who you are).

So here's a story that's been bouncin' around in my head for a while. This is the prologue, fyi. Enjoy

* * *

"Damn it, someone find that little bastard!"

Such were the cries overhead as a young blonde boy sat under a closed manhole in the darkness, doing his best not to snicker too loudly lest he be found. _Man,_ he thought,_ first time flinging a little crème on the Hokage monument and they go nuts! I gotta remember to do it again!_

After a little while, the hyperactive ten year old grew bored- Konoha's drainage system was cramped, dark, smelly and, above all, dirty. He was lucky he was small enough to crouch through most of it, but he almost regretted hiding there due to the smell and the inevitable layers of mud and muck. He could still hear frantic footsteps overhead and decided that he would be in here for a while, so he decided to make the most of it and do a little exploring. With luck, he'd find another manhole that wasn't in the middle of the street.

_Let's see…_ he mused while crawling through the disgusting mire, _This goes right, so I think I'm under a building now._ He continued along his mental map in the dark, unable to see his own hands in front of him. He bumped his head a few times, but nothing he hadn't done before. After a while, a sliver of light shone around a tight corner, and he found his bearings. _Bingo! Lights mean a bigger tunnel, and a bigger tunnel means I'm under a main street. Yeah, go me!_

His small filthy body scampered and squirmed to the growing light, and a smile crept across his dirty face- Naruto Uzumaki, master of pranks, had successfully escaped by navigating paths no one else could.

But before his mind could declare triumph, his hand came down on something hard and sharp. "Ow!" he cried, his young voice reverberating down the stifled tunnel while he clutched his wrist in reflex. His palm felt hot and slippery- a combination that never turned out well. _I'm bleeding!_ He knew, but that wouldn't stop him from continuing forward. With extra caution, he reached out his uninjured hand and felt the mud before him, and there it was. Some kind of cold cylinder with jagged edges was in his way. He nudged the object and it moved.

Now he was curious. What little treasure was this thing buried in mud in a cramped storm drain? Carefully, he felt his way around it so he could grasp it without cutting himself further, and after a moment he found an uncomfortable hold. With his new treasure in hand, he scooted the rest of the way through the tunnel and rounded the corner into a larger storm drain.

He stood in the larger space and unraveled his palm in the sick yellow lights, ready to examine his find. His curious blue eyes scrutinized the mud-caked object as his dirty fingers scrubbed at the grime. It was indeed a cylinder and was made of cold metal and adorned with orderly columns of spikes and jagged extrusions.

Naruto turned it over several times, his eyes adjusting to the low light to get a better look at the thing. The more he stared, the more he realized that this was a beautiful piece of work. The spikes and extrusions were smelted from perfect steel and flawless sharp grooves were carved into the cracks. It looked like a lethal weapon, but surely something so finely crafted couldn't be for combat.

The blonde ten year old smiled brightly- he liked this thing, whatever it was. He was about to pocket it when he noticed a loose slat running along one side of the cylinder. _Was this here a second ago?_ Curiosity notwithstanding, he pulled a little on the slat and was shocked to find that it broke away, trailed by an ancient parchment adorned much like the cylinder.

_It's a scroll!_ He did a victory dance in his head; he found a scroll- a prized possession in the ninja world. And it was all his! And it was so much cooler than any of those rolled up slips of blank paper stored in the Academy. He gazed in awe at the yellowed paper before him and noticed writing between the intricate swashes of faded ink. It was hard to make out, but he identified the characters quickly. _These are names. Lots of people signed this thing… well too bad, 'cause it's mine now!_

He stared at the faint names in wonder. What was this scroll? He'd never seen anything like it, especially not one with only personal names written in them. After a while, he figured they must have been the metal scroll's previous owners, and he had a sudden desire to lay official claim to this scroll. _Too bad I don't have anything to write with…_

As though by command, one of the jagged slats of metal on the scroll shot outward, nearly impaling his hand. He almost dropped the scroll in the grime again but caught himself when the steel spike made no further movements. He frowned and fingered the newly protruding spike- there was blood on the end. _This is where I cut myself…_ The spike suddenly loosened and came free in his palm, and an idea struck him. He glanced back and forth between the names on the parchment and the bloody needle. "I could use this as a pen," he realized out loud, and a smile etched across his face.

Seconds later, his name was crudely scrawled next to the last name in the parchment. Naruto was now the proud owner of this beautiful sharp scroll.

_Now if I could only figure out what it's for…_


	2. You are the Summoner

Howdy again.

First real chapter, I suppose. Either way, enjoy.

* * *

Naruto was frustrated beyond comprehension. It hadn't even been a week since the Chunin Exam preliminaries, and he wasn't getting anywhere with his training. And the circumstances of his instructors alone were aggravating enough without the added weight of this impossible training.

His first choice was, of course, his team leader and instructor, Kakashi. The one-eyed bastard had the nerve to outright deny him in favor of training Sasuke for the final fight. To add insult to injury, Kakashi then dumped the worst possible teacher on him- Ebisu. That closet pervert was so smug that it hurt to look at him, never mind the fact that he hated his guts and couldn't offer a useful lick of advice.

And this Jiraiya pervert had to be the lowest rung of hell when it came to incompetent instructors. Naruto fumed every time he thought about it- the old lech barely paid him any mind in favor of girls in bikinis, and whenever he did turn his way, he offered nothing more than insults and sarcasm. Currently, the Uzumaki was attempting the latest technique suggested by the old lech- summoning. "Of course," he grumbled aloud, "How the hell am I supposed to summon a frog if my teacher _doesn't tell me how_?!"

Jiraiya turned away from his hiding bush and sneered at him. "Keep it down kid! You wanna get me busted?!"

"That's exactly what I want!" He went into a childish rage, pointing fingers and all. "You tell me to summon a frog and don't tell me how?! What kinda teacher are you?!"

The old Sannin rolled his eyes and sighed; he'd heart this rant a thousand times in the last four days. _This is getting old. How do I shut him up?_ "Alright… did you spell your name right in the summon scroll?"

"I think I know how to spell my own name!"

"You _think_ you know? How stupid are you?"

Naruto's face turned red and he sputtered in a manner that would send the demon fox for cover.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Jiraiya sidestepped the vocal shitstorm by a hair and continued. "You're doing the hand seals right?"

The boy ground out the words. "Yes…"

"And the blood…?"

"It's there…"

"Lemme see the seals. Maybe you're screwing one up."

Naruto's eye twitched and he ran through the seals as quickly as he'd become accustomed. Jiraiya merely nodded at the sight.

"Well that's right… it's gotta be the chakra. How much are you putting into it?"

"I've told you a thousand times! I put in as much as I can, and nothing happens!"

"Naruto," he addressed the blonde in a stern voice, "Calm down. You're not supposed to jam chakra down the throat of _any_ technique. You're probably overcompensating how much you think you should use." He finally abandoned his peeping bush and took a seat near the boy. "Try to summon a toad like you've been doing."

"But I've _been_…!"

"The sooner you do it the sooner you'll figure out how to do it right. Now quit arguing and summon the damn toad."

Naruto ground his teeth then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He nudged open the bite on his thumb to resupply the blood and ran through the seals like he had a thousand times before. His hands slammed into the ground and a visible incarnation of the summoning seal appeared on the ground and then… nothing. Just like a thousand times before.

"You see! Nothing! There's never anything there! Not even a freakin' tadpole!"

Jiraiya thumbed his chin for a moment in thought. _He's doing it right, and the amount of chakra should be enough to summon a small toad, so why isn't it working? Maybe he really does need to push more chakra into it…_ "Okay!" He planted his hands on his crossed knees and gazed at Naruto. "Try it again and put more chakra into it!"

"What do you think I've been…!"

"Quit your bitchin' and put more chakra into it!"

Naruto growled and did just that. Blood was applied, seals were made, chakra was channeled, the ink showed on the ground, and nothing… just like before.

"Again! More chakra! A lot more!"

"Gah!" Blood, seals, chakra, ink…

The moment Naruto's palms hit the dirt, the ground trembled and convulsed. Out of nowhere, a dome of steel and spikes shot out of the ground inches from the blonde's head and the boy stumbled back and fell. For a split second, his brilliant eyes examined the steel barricade. _This… looks familiar…_

And just as quickly as it appeared, the dome split apart and fell back into the earth, this time leaving a figure in its wake. When the dust settled, the newcomer methodically glanced back and forth, as though studying the landscape.

Naruto was too speechless to be afraid or even notice that Jiraiya had disappeared in lieu of a retaliatory surprise attack. The blonde stared at the stranger, observing the man's tall and lanky appearance. "Uh…"

That utterance was enough to gain the stranger's attention, and he turned to Naruto. The lower half of the man's body was indistinguishable from the midnight black leather, and leather straps and iron spikes covered only the man's pale white torso. But the clothes did not make the man in this case- his white face was offset by blood red lips and awkwardly kempt black hair.

But his eyes were by far the most disturbing feature. One so black it was invisible against the eyeliner, and the other only distinguishable by a bright pale blue iris.

The man opened his mouth to speak, and his voice sounded like an elegant singer and ruthless barbarian all at once. "Boy."

Naruto realized this terrifying man was addressing him and stood to his feet. "Y-yeah?"

The pale stranger cocked his head in a sudden way. "You are the summoner?"

The Uzumaki's mind raced a mile a minute. _Did… I summon him? But I was supposed to summon a frog! Why'd I summon a human?! This doesn't make any sense!_ In the end, it was the man's unnerving stare that forced his answer. "Yeah, I summoned you." Naruto swallowed and found his usual belligerence, as artificial as it was for the moment. "And since I summoned you, you have to do as I say!"

The disturbing man glanced back and forth once again. "Where is the sacrifice?"

Fear crept back into Naruto's voice. "A… sacrifice?"

"Yes. A sacrifice."

Naruto swallowed. _What sacrifice?! Was I supposed to bring a sacrifice?!_

The man stared into the blonde's soul without remorse or anger, raising a pale naked arm towards him. "If there is no sacrifice, then I will take you as one."

Whether by courage or terror, Naruto found his voice again and stood his ground. "I'm your summoner!" he screamed with partial rage, "I summoned _you_, so _you_ have to do what _I_ say! Got that?! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even _be_ here!"

The man's arm halted and he stared ahead without so much as a blink. But to Naruto, he might as well have been writing his thoughts on a chalkboard. Slowly, he lowered his arm and regarded the blonde with blank dead eyes. "Of course. You are the summoner. I will let this go this one time. But know this: if I am to serve you, I will have at least one sacrifice every summon. Even if it is the summoner."

Naruto gulped- he didn't know what this man could do, but he knew he dodged a kunai regardless. "Then what's your name?"

The stranger gazed through him with those cold mismatched eyes then tilted his head a bit. "I am Jashin."

And at the mere utterance of his name, the metal spiked dome slammed into place over him and disassembled into the ground as abruptly as it came, along with Jashin's existence.

Seconds ticked by and Naruto breathed for what felt like the first time in years. He heard leaves rustling behind him and glanced to find Jiraiya by his side. "W-what just happened?"

Jiraiya's face was pale and cold, as was Naruto's. "I don't know," he answered in a distant voice, "Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"Go home for today. Don't try to summon anything on your own."

"Yeah…"

------

Jiraiya sat in the vacant field nearby his hotel room. _I need answers_, he knew as he found a space large enough for a toad summon. Upon finding a suitable clearing, he summoned the greatest of the toads, Gamabunta.

"**Damnit Jiraiya!**" The feisty old toad was clearly not in the mood to be arbitrarily summoned today. "**This had better be important!**"

"Gamabunta," the Sannin regarded his summon with deadly seriousness, "We need to talk- I've got questions, and you're the only one with the answers."

"**Yeah, yeah.**" The massive amphibian boss lit his pipe and took a drawl from it. "**So what is it this time?**"

"My new student was practicing the summoning technique today…" He could see that Gamabunta couldn't have cared less as the old toad smoked his pipe. "And he summoned a human…"

Before Jiraiya could continue, Gamabunta's giant pipe slipped from his lips and crashed to the ground. "**Oh no…**" the toad boss whispered in his rumbling voice, his eyes quivering in… disbelief? Caution? Fear? "**They… found a summoner…**"

* * *

* * *

Alright, first thing's first:

I haven't seen a 'human summon' fic yet, so maybe this is the first of it's kind... I'd like to think that, but I'm probably wrong.

Secondly, this fic is to break monotony with my work. Don't expect frequent updates (especially considering that I'm working on the other 2 fics as well). This is to keep me from flat out losing my mind over drawing and painting all day. Surprise suprise, doing the thing you 'love' all day gets old pretty damn fast.

And now for the fun stuff!

Obviously there's more than one entity that can be summoned in the Narutoverse, and this new one's no exception. The 'human' summons will be just as diverse in their looks and powers as the other summon creatures are, so much so that I'm sure at least one of you out there can come up with an excellent cannon fodder summon that fits in perfectly with the 'human' summon themes.

So to anyone who's interested in inserting their own little character, here's how you can do it: (aka: contest)

Jashin (I must be obsessed with the idea) is modeled after a real person. Yes, his freaky description is actually based off a living, breathing human being in reality. Name that person and I'll contact you and ask you for the basic info. If you're an anonymous reviewer who got it right, I'll ignore you until I have a way to contact you.

So... yeah. Dinnertime. Out.


	3. Truths and Lies

Woot. Saw "Where the Wild Things are" a few hours ago.

I fell asleep.

Oh, the new Rammstein album's out! Yay _Liebe Ist Für Alle Da_!!

Anyway, here ya go.

* * *

Naruto lied on his bed, still contemplating what happened earlier that afternoon. He still couldn't believe he summoned a human. His hands shook every time he thought of Jashin standing over him from so far away, but the more he thought about it, the more his fear was replaced by excitement. _Jiraiya didn't seem to know I could summon a human, and he's supposed to be a summoning master. Am I the first human summoner ever?! But wait, I signed the toad contract, didn't I? I even had to bite my finger to sign in blood…_

He frowned; didn't this sound familiar, signing his name in blood? He frowned, trying to determine this sense of déjà vu. _Signing my name in blood… after a bunch of other names… a bunch of other summoners…_

His eyes widened in realization and he scrambled off the sheets for his counter. He tore open the deepest drawer and flung socks and boxers in every direction until he came across a tin box- his old treasure box he used as a kid. He nearly ripped the lid off to find the old scroll he found long ago in the black storm drain, its sharp surface still as intricate and unblemished as the day he found it.

Naruto handled the scroll carefully, finding it a bit odd that all the razor extrusions and bladed slats no longer felt as sharp as they should. He stared at the scroll a moment longer then brought it to his bed. Locating the loose slat, he unfurled the yellowed paper to find it unchanged. His full name was still scrawled in blood with needlelike precision next to a cavalcade of faded names of people long since deceased.

"I get it now," he whispered to no one, "This is a summoning scroll… but why is it so small? The toad contract was huge…"

"There's a reason for that."

Naruto jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice. He whipped around to find Jiraiya poised in his open window, and his shock quickly subsided into anger. "Haven't you ever heard of a door?!"

The old Sannin regarded the blonde boy with lethal somberness as he stepped down from the windowsill into the bedroom. "Naruto, come with me. And bring that scroll with you."

He quirked an eyebrow; something was wrong if the old lech was this serious. "Why? I already signed it, so it can't…"

"Just bring the damn thing with you." He unconsciously reached out for the scroll, seeing as how the Uzumaki was so hesitant to obey. He nearly didn't bring his hand back.

When Jiraiya's palm was mere inches from the sharp steel surface, the razor slats and intricate spikes suddenly shot out like a puffer fish from hell. The Sannin was quick enough not to touch the thing, and he could only gaze at it as he retracted his hand. _This thing… doesn't want me to touch it? What the hell is it, sentient?_

Naruto was surprised as well, but not nearly as much as his current mentor. "Huh," he reached out for the scroll, "It's never done that before." He'd witnessed the scroll's near magical ability to extend certain parts of itself before, just not on this scale. As his own palm approached, the slats and spikes retracted and flexed back to their original positions, like a rabid dog being calmed by its master.

Jiraiya observed the blonde child handle the scroll with ease and no danger. _Must be what Gamabunta told me,_ he reasoned. "Alright, pack this up and bring it with you. We're going on a trip."

The blonde child stared at him, puzzled. "A trip? Is it a training trip?"

"No."

Naruto frowned and crossed his arms. "No way! The last Chunin exam is in three weeks, and my first fight is with that smartass Neji! I can't afford _not_ to train!"

_You stupid fool,_ Jiraiya thought, _This is so much bigger than any test…_ He sighed and relented- he hadn't known the Uzumaki long, but he knew him well enough to know his stubbornness had no bounds. "Fine, I'll teach you some smaller techniques on the way. But we have to go."

"I don't want small techniques, I want powerful ones!"

Jiraiya blanched and sneered. _Minato, Kushina, your son is a total dumbass!_ "Kid, I'm the great Sannin, Jiraiya! A small technique to me is a killer move to every other shinobi!"

Naruto's blue eyes brightened at that. "You mean it? I'll learn some really cool techniques?"

"You better believe it!" _No worries, we'll be too busy to get anything done._ "Now get packed for a few days. I'll be waiting at the gate."

"You got it!"

"And don't forget that scroll!"

----

Naruto was packed and ready in a half hour and strolling to the main gate with a skip in his step. _I get to train outside the village! And learn several kick ass techniques too! This is awesome!_

He was passing by a residential district into a commercial center- a place loaded with cheap inns and hotels. Something shined in his eye and he instinctively glanced up to the source- a giant metal slat seated against a railing two floors above him. That was all well and good, but it was the person seated next to the thing that caught his attention. _Hey, I remember her…_ He frowned at her in obvious displeasure of her association with the Chunin exams, but her impassive face returned nothing as he continued on his way.

----

A blonde woman sat with her arm resting on the railing of the cheap hotel reserved for the Exam's participants, blankly staring out at Konoha and running its fate over and over in her mind. She knew its existence hurt her village's well being and damaged its reputation, but that was a long time ago- she had never known the humiliation of losing the last Great War. It wasn't her shame on the line, neither that of her siblings nor any of the younger generation of her village.

But she was involved with that old grudge match regardless. And she hated it.

_Nothing I can do about it,_ she reasoned, wishing against all hope that she could just participate in the final test and go home. Her mind was filled with an undying wish to simply live and let live, even if that was the only thing she could never do.

A swift motion in her peripheral caught her attention and she glanced down to find a fellow participant glaring back at her. _That loud kid… Uzumaki, right?_ She remembered his efforts against that other Konoha shinobi, how he won with blind luck and a fart. He wouldn't survive the onslaught, and she distracted herself with this knowledge to keep any reaction at bay.

The boy continued on his way, and Temari only hoped that she wouldn't have to kill him herself.

--------

Naruto was almost at the front gate when a pair of familiar faces- or hidden faces- met his eyes. "Hey Kiba! Shino!" he approached the two, "How you guys doin'?"

Kiba snorted, still miffed at his embarrassing defeat. "Better than great, thank you very much." Akamaru snoozed peacefully in his jacket, so he couldn't share in his master's mood. "Dunno about this guy though."

Shino ignored the jab and went straight to the point. "You are prepared for a journey of some sort. What is your destination?"

The blonde laughed nervously at Shino's social awkwardness. "I don't know exactly…"

"Wait," Kiba was caught off guard, "You're taking a trip? Right before the Exam?!"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Kiba sniffed, obviously hurt that he had to lose to this dimwit. "Nothin'. Don't blame me when Neji kicks your ass…"

"Hey, for the record I'm travelling with a Sannin who's gonna teach me all kinds of stuff! I'll be stronger than ever when I get back!"

"Hmph, whatever," he waved it off as an exaggeration and started on his way, "Just don't die out there…"

Naruto frowned at Kiba's rudeness, almost forgetting about Shino entirely and being startled when the quiet boy spoke up.

"Do not mind Kiba's rashness- he is still upset over the nature of his loss."

"Yeah, I'll bet he is…"

Shino paused before going after the feral ninja, a tiny anxious buzz reverberating throughout his hive. Something was… different about Uzumaki, but neither he nor his bugs could figure it out. "Have you visited our teammate in the hospital yet?"

"Huh? Hinata? No, I hate hospitals… they give me the creeps."

The bug user bowed a little in farewell. "You should visit sometime." And with that, he was on his way after Kiba.

_Damn,_ Naruto shook his head, _Still as weird as ever._

Once out of earshot, Shino located Kiba stroking Akamaru's head. The pup had slept peacefully until now due to exhaustion, but now it shook as fiercely as it had in Gaara's presence. "C'mon boy," Kiba worried, "What's the matter?"

Shino would not pretend to understand the pup's fear, but the anxiety within his hive was worrisome in its own right.

-------

Naruto quickly found Jiraiya- the man was not hard to find, especially when there were young ladies around. A quick look in the nearest bush was all it took.

"You can't stop peeping for one minute, can you?"

"Shut up! It's an art form!"

"Whatever…"

"Alright," Jiraiya stood from his cover only to stray further from the path. "Let's go."

"Hey. Hey!" Naruto was confused; weren't they travelling? He followed after the Sannin through the brush and undergrowth. _Damn, he's fast for an old guy._ "Hey, where are we going?!"

Jiraiya halted in a tiny clearing and Naruto stumbled in beside him. Before them sat a small toad with a strange configuration of stringy hair and a beard. No sooner had either summoner appeared than the toad spoke. "This the boy?"

"Yes," Jiraiya answered.

"He have the scroll?"

The Sannin turned to the boy. "You have the scroll?"

"Y-yeah… what's going on?"

Jiraiya grasped the boy's shoulder and a sudden puff of smoke obscured all view. When it cleared, Naruto fell forward and started coughing his lungs up.

"Come," the old toad croaked, "We haven't got all day."

Naruto struggled to his feet to find both the toad and Jiraiya waiting on him. He coughed some more and wiped hot tears of exertion from his eyes. Through his bodily fits, he noticed massive leaves and mushrooms everywhere. In the distance sat unfamiliar mountains and a bizarre landscape. _This isn't Konoha. _"Where…" he went through another spell of coughing, "Where are we?"

The old toad answered. "This is the summoning realm." It started hopping away while Jiraiya set pace behind it. "Come along! This is urgent business!"

Naruto cursed under his breath and coughed again before straightening and going after the two. _This is turning out to be a shitty day…_

-------

After a swift hour of walking, both Naruto and Jiraiya sat on a cushion the size of a bean bag chair- a sitting pillow clearly designed for the smallest toad of any status. The room around them was massive and simply decorated- the humble mansion of Gamabunta, his harem, and his numerous children. The small elderly frog, Fukasaku, sat off to the side a bit. Jiraiya seemed comfortable enough, but Naruto had butterflies in his stomach. The fact that everything was at least three times larger did little to calm him.

The massive sliding door- easily four times the length of Konoha's main gate- slid open to reveal Gamabunta's massive form.

"**So you've brought him,**" the toad boss spoke nonchalantly as he waddled over to his own cushion before the summoners. He ignored Naruto's gawking face and spoke directly to Jiraiya. "**Did you tell him anything yet?**"

"No, I thought it'd mean more coming from you."

The big toad sighed. "**Very well, although even I'm not sure I'll be all it takes. You, boy.**"

Naruto stiffened- the toad the size of a building was talking to him! "Y-yes!"

"**You summoned a human, correct?**"

"Y-yeah, earlier today."

"**Did the human say or do anything?**"

"Uh… I…" He swallowed hard. _Get it together, Naruto! This is normal! There is nothing weird at all about a giant toad talking to you!_ He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, and that was all he needed. "He said that every time I summoned him, he needed a sacrifice."

The giant toad nodded in consideration. "**I see. And did you have a sacrifice?**"

"No… why would I? I didn't think a summon would want one."

Gamabunta nodded again, trying not to be too intimidating in this impromptu interrogation. "**What did he look like?**"

"Uh… real pale- pretty much white. Eh, black hair, lipstick, I think, black eyeliner… oh! One eye was totally black and the other one was this really bright blue." Upon completing this description, he wondered if it was possible for a toad to turn pale- that would certainly explain the color shift in the toad's face.

"**And he let you live? No sacrifice?**"

He nodded. "That's right… why?"

Gamabunta sighed and a gush of smelly wind struck the summoners, knocking one over while barely fazing the other. "**I was afraid of this.**"

For the first time in a while, Jiraiya spoke up. "Afraid of what?" The tone of his voice and the look in his eyes were clear indications that he meant business and wanted answers.

If Gamabunta could sweat on top of his usual perspiration, he would have been flooding the room. "**This… is out of my hands. I had hoped the summoning was just a fluke, but if he summoned **_**that**_** human…**" He let his words hang, leaving Jiraiya and Naruto out of the loop.

Jiraiya maintained his professional air, but he was clearly displeased. "You told me that summoning humans was a secret, but you left before you could clarify. I think now's a good time to tell me…" He glanced at the boy and corrected himself. "Tell _us_ everything."

Naruto realized he was being included in this deal a great bit, so he sat up in anticipation. _A secret? What kind of secret?_

Gamabunta sighed again, clearly trying to buy time for something he obviously did not want to do. "**Alright. The secret is out, so I suppose I can't avoid this any longer.**" He angled himself up a bit so that he appeared formal. "**For the past six hundred years, we've kept the ability to summon humans a secret from your realm.**"

Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow at a particular word. "We? As in the toads?"

"**No. All the summons.**"

A dead silence settled over the room. Naruto was quiet out of ignorance, but his mentor would soon shed more light on the situation.

"All the summons?" Jiraiya inquired, "Even the ones you're supposedly at war with?"

"**Yes.**"

That unnerving silence again. "Okay, continue. Why were they kept a secret?"

"**They are humans that naturally reside in the summon realm. No normal human could survive here, so they've… adapted.**"

"How so? Are they huge? The one we saw didn't look _too_ strange…"

"**No, no, they did not evolve like us. They developed powers and strengths that are far above our own, and they do not wish to coexist with anyone but their own kind.**"

"Then why keep them here? Why not let them live in _our_ realm?"

"**We did.**" Gamabunta's tone was flat and stoic. "**That was the closest humans from your realm ever came to extinction.**"

Naruto's eyes shot open alongside Jiraiya's at this revelation. "Wait, humans were almost extinct?! H-how can that be?!"

The giant toad eyed the boy with sympathy. "**Because, little one, the humans of our realm are conquerors who care nothing of life and whose actions can only lead to despair. I once heard that even their songs could level mountains…**"

"Wait a minute," Jiraiya interrupted, his sharp mind at work, "If what you say is true, that means they were defeated, and we know they still exist today. Why not just kill them off and never worry about it again?"

The toad chief glared at the Sannin. "**Did you think we did not try? Do you really believe that we let them to roam free, doing as they please?**" His summoner said nothing in return, obviously understanding the futility of his inquiry. "**The human summons were defeated centuries ago and all their summoners were killed. The only thing that remained of them in your realm was their scroll. We could not destroy it, try as we might, so it was hidden.**"

"Until now."

The toad looked somber. "**Yes, until now.**"

Naruto blinked at the story then decided this was his cue. He reached into his bag and unearthed the metal scroll. He couldn't have made the room quieter had he tried anything else. "You mean this scroll, right?"

"**I… I do not know for sure…**"

For once, both Naruto and Jiraiya shouted in unison. "What?!"

Gamabunta was clearly embarrassed by his confession. "**I have… never actually seen a human summon or anything related to them until now. I wasn't even born when the pact was made to lock them away.**"

Jiraiya stood, clearly confused and irritated. "Then how the hell do you know so much about them?!"

"**I have heard the legends, and my… my brother tells me stories.**"

"You… you're brother?!"

"**Yes… that is… another part of the story.**"

The Sannin grunted and sat again, clearly angry that the usually belligerent Gamabunta was being as brief as possible. "Cut the shit, Gamabunta. You're beating around the bush, and I don't like it!"

The boss toad, despite his size, seemed to buckle under Jiraiya's rebuke. "**I am sorry, but try to see it from my point of view; I am the first summon of any kind to break the oath of secrecy. It is something I never thought I'd do, and… well, I simply don't know what I'm supposed to do.**"

Jiraiya grunted and crossed his arms. "Fine, I understand. This brother of yours- is his part in this the _end_ of the secrets?"

"**Yes.**"

"Then what's your brother's role in this?"

Gamabunta heaved a heavy sigh and unearthed his pipe, clearly in need of a soothing dose of tobacco. After a long, drawn out puff, he summoned the will to explain. "**All the summon creatures of this realm are divided into two families or clans or whatever system each species deems appropriate for themselves. We toads have a branch family whose members are chosen from the main family to serve. Those chosen are exempted from the summoning scrolls so that they may guard the gates to the Forbidden Mountains.**"

Naruto frowned at the concept- it reminded him of the situation with Neji and Hinata. _Main and Branch families? What the hell is going on here?_

Jiraiya was a little more astute. "So these 'branch' members guard the gates to these 'Forbidden Mountains'… I assume these mountains are where the humans live?"

"**That is correct.**"

"They are confined there, I take it?"

"**Yes.**"

"So your brother guards the gate."

Gamabunta's chest swelled a little with pride. "**More than that- my elder brother is the Chieftain of the Southern Gate Guard!**"

"A southern gate?" He could have cared less about prestige. "There's more than one entrance to these mountains?"

The boss toad deflated in the face of apathy. "**Yes- eight in total. We toads are in charge of the southernmost gate in the Great Swamp. The other gates are controlled similarly by our fellow species' branch families.**"

Jiraiya took the answer in stride and crossed his arms to think, an unsettling silence washing over the giant room. Gamabunta said nothing either, choosing instead to suck on his pipe. Fukasaku remained silent in his corner as he had for the entire conversation, and Naruto squirmed in the stifling atmosphere.

"So… uh…" the blonde genin began, "I guess I should just never summon anything?" He gained the thoughtful attention of everyone present and laughed nervously. "Isn't that the easiest thing?"

"No," Jiraiya disagreed, "There _has_ to be another way- all contracts can be voided somehow. Isn't easy, but it's been done before. Problem is, each contract is different- there are certain conditions that must be met, and I have no idea where to even begin with this one."

"Oh…"

The suffocating silence settled in again, but this time it was Jiraiya who broke it. He stood from his seat and regarded Fukasaku with absolute authority.

"Fukasaku, do you know the way to this southern gate?"

"Yes, of course," the elderly toad replied meekly.

"Gamabunta," the Sannin turned his cold stare to the boss toad, "What's your brother's name?"

The gigantic amphibian nodded in understanding of his summoner's intentions. "**Gamagazou. Ask for Gamagazou.**"

"Alright then. Naruto," the old Sannin turned to his pupil with a resolute expression, "Pack that scroll up again. We're moving out."

Naruto nodded and scrambled to his feet, replacing the steel scroll and trying to shoulder his pack all at once. "Where're we going now?"

Jiraiya ignored the boy's lack of intuition- he was used to it by now. "This Gamagazou's the closest thing to an authority on the human summons, so maybe he knows how to break the contract." He motioned for Fukasaku to lead the way and followed. "We're headed for the southern gate of the Forbidden Mountains."

-------

The toad Sannin hadn't anticipated heavy travel- all the time spent on this journey was originally intended for the human contract's nullification. But here they were regardless, trudging through thick underbrush and arid lands alike. The weather transformed since departure from Gamabunta's mansion- the balmy wind and blue skies steadily gave way to stifling air and slushy ground. After three days of on and off travel and Naruto's endless bitching, some semblance of civilization appeared at the outer edge of the so-called Great Swamp.

"We're here," Fukasaku announced dully as he hopped along. "Don't make any sudden movements- no toad here has ever been in contact with a friendly human."

Jiraiya nodded in understanding and shot a glance at his blond protégé. Naruto nodded in awareness of his wishes, and the Sannin strolled up alongside the elderly frog to the larger-than-life gate that towered over the mist of the steamy swamp.

The walls stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction, which wasn't far thanks to the stinky fog wafting through rotted stumps and hunkered trees. The double doors of the gates were massive-far larger than Gamabunta's doorway. It stretched into the sky parallel to the stone wall at least several thousand feet high.

_There's no way anyone could get through this,_ Naruto thought in awe of the grandiose structure.

Jiraiya, however, kept his wonder in reserve. He pounded on the massive gate and the steel and wood reverberated with an echo that threatened to burst his eardrums. "This is Jiraiya!" he shouted, "Summoner of the Contract of the Toads! I request an audience with Gamagazou!"

Seconds ticked by and a slat high in the door flew open, revealing an unmistakably amphibian eye. It observed the travelers, paying special attention to the summoners. "**What is your business with Lord Gamagazou?**"

The old Sannin stared directly into the giant eye with resolve of his own. "The secret of the human summons is out! We're here to see Gamagazou about it!"

The eye widened, but whether out of shock, horror, or mere surprise, no human could really tell. "**Enter.**"

With that, the massive doors creaked and groaned as they parted inward, the ground trembling under their weight. Jiraiya strode in with all the authority of his summoner status while Naruto followed meekly, Fukasaku remaining utterly silent behind them. The legendary Sannin, although maintaining an air of superiority, was small compared to the dozens of massive toads that dwarfed him on all sides.

Naruto wasn't so lucky. The blonde trembled with each step, his slightest move being watched and scrutinized by at least half a dozen four story toads at any given moment. Worse yet was the silence- the landscape behind the gate was littered with swampy huts and stone parapets designed for defense, but nary a word was exchanged between two toads. Every single one of them, adorned in their tons of armor and armed to the teeth, remained absolutely silent in his presence, not out of fear, but out of suspicion. He followed closely behind Jiraiya, hoping the man knew what he was doing. _Talk about tense…_

Another few minutes of the heart-stopping walk brought them before another massive gate as tall as the first. The landscape behind the wall was a drastic change from the Great Swamp; the ground turned rocky and dry, dust swirled in the arid wind, and the ground hastily sloped into craggy mountains so carved with destruction that they could not have been natural.

But all that paled in comparison to the toad that was damn near as tall as the gate. Naruto gawked at the toad- it dwarfed Gamabunta by a mile, and the addition of what had to be five tons of scarred armor only made it larger. Old wounds long since healed covered the toad's face, and a tiny necklace of a dozen bronzed human skulls hung from its massive neck. The toad stood at perfect attention and yet remained relaxed, its gnarled sword holding its arms at ease.

The blonde couldn't help but stare at this monument. _That's… just impossible…_

Even Jiraiya was impressed, but he was constantly reminding himself of what had to be done to free his student from the human contract to keep from gawking. "Gamagazou, I presume?"

The massive toad glanced down as if it didn't notice him. "**Yes. And who might you be?**"

"Jiraiya, master of the Toad contract."

"**I see,**" he motioned at Naruto, "**And who is he?**"

"This is my underling Naruto. We're here to talk about the humans of this realm." He carefully dodged the fact that the blonde could summon the vile beings.

Gamagazou blanched a little, but his stare did not waver in the slightest. "**The secret is out?**"

"Yes."

"**How?**"

"That's not important right now." _I don't want him knowing about Naruto just yet. Something's… not quite right here._ "What _is_ important is finding a way to nullify the human contract with its summoner."

Gamagazou glared at them a while longer, deliberating on his next course of action. His many underlings watched on, equal parts nervous and anxious for his decision. "**I know very little about how that contract works, much less how to break it. We have learned nothing from our only prisoner.**"

Jiraiya heaved a sigh and collected himself. "I'm not convinced," he gambled, "Gamabunta told me you're the Chieftain of the guard here. And I can see that you've been through quite a few battles," he motioned to the bronzed skulls, "So someone of your stature couldn't have been here this long without learning something about the humans."

The Chieftain was quick to retort. "**I only know that there are elders and young ones and how to combat them, and even that is a difficult task. They are nothing but vile creatures that know nothing but destruction. Their trickery and lies are in great abundance and their patience…**" Before the great toad could continue though, a strained chuckle interrupted him.

All eyes, even Gamagazou's, turned to the source- a figure, human, bound head to toe to an extension of the mountain that passed under the second wall.

Naruto's eyes widened at the sight; the man, from what little could be made of him, seemed light, airy, almost like he wasn't there at all. The being swayed in the wind and every possible extension that squeezed through the chains fluttered in the breeze like tattered silk, head included. _He's the prisoner…_

"**It speaks,**" Gamagazou commented, clearly unsurprised at the human's laugh. "**You wish to share your mockery with us, human?**"

The man laughed some more, his young voice matching his weathered face. "You're still stickin' to that story? After all this time?!" He hacked out a guffaw and coughed from the effort. The way his body pulled at the chains should have killed him long ago, and yet here he was in nothing more than obvious discomfort.

Naruto felt something rise in his mind, a nagging feeling that he had to do something about this. Whatever this feeling was, whether it was to free or kill the human, it compelled him to act before anyone else could. "Story? What story?"

The human turned his ragged youthful face to Naruto's and chuckled with silky teeth and twitchy eyes. "That _we're_ the ones who started all this!"

Gamagazou actually shifted his weight in prepared retaliation. "**Silence, young one!**"

But the 'young one' continued nonetheless, keeping his eyes glued to Uzumaki. "The frogs and snakes and all of 'em came _after_ us! _We_ helped them grow and evolve!"

The earth trembled under Gamagazou's growing anger. "**Lies! Just like your elders! Hold your tongue!**"

"That's right boy!" The man's eyes were manic by now and his shrill voice was filled with giggling madness. "After millennia of coexistence, _they_ betrayed _us_! _They _attacked first! _They're_ the villains!"

"**I said enough!**" The Chieftain finally lost his cool and struck the ground before the prisoner with his mangled sword, splitting the rock in twain and sending Naruto on his butt. "**I will have no more of your lies…!**" Something caught his eye and Gamagazou paused.

Naruto's pack had opened and spilled its contents on its way to the ground, and the first thing atop the bundle of clothes and equipment was the sharp steel scroll of the human summoning contract. The blonde grunted as he stood and moved to replace everything, but the atmosphere was so cold that even he couldn't help but notice it.

He looked up to find every eye glued to the scroll… and him. For that split second, he saw a flash of terror strike through every hardened toad there… and the shock quickly melted away into malevolence.

"**I see…**" Gamagazou glared at the blonde, completely ignoring Jiraiya's failed attempt to protect him, "**So this boy is the reason the secret is out… and the new summoner as well.**"

The Sannin knew this couldn't end well, but he couldn't very well escape with Naruto in tow… "Now hold on," he tried to play mediator and come to a compromise, "We came here to figure out how to break the contract! I'm sure there's a way to…"

Gamagazou interrupted the Sannin with a steel footpad to the head, knocking the toad summoner away and unconscious with little effort. He stepped toward a terrified Naruto while raising his weathered sword in preparation alongside the dozens of other toad warriors. "**I am sorry boy, but we all signed a pact. This we cannot break…**"

Time passed in hours in Naruto's eyes- he saw the immense toad raise its sword over its head and the forest of other blades and clubs and chains reel back to strike him dead. The urge to run overcame him… but where was there to run? Every side was covered by an enemy whose duty was to utterly wipe him from existence without remorse. _I'm dead… this is it…_

But an insane cackling broke his stupor. "Summoner! _Summoner_!"

Naruto glanced over to find the restrained human bursting at the seams with renewed energy, a look of joy and elation washed over his smooth beaten face.

"Blood, summoner! Blood on the scroll!!"

Not knowing who to trust or what to believe, mind blank of any coherent thought and process, the blonde idly squeezed the sharp scroll. A small barb penetrated the skin of his forefinger, drew the tiniest drop of blood, then shot away from the steel body of the scroll and twisted and contorted its way to the trapped human.

Naruto saw the impossible needle shift and convulse into new shapes to reach the man, but he didn't really see anything specific. All around him was death incoming by creatures meant to be on his side. The greatest, most powerful beings from the summon realm were inches away from killing him…

The inches lessened to millimeters, and the millimeters to centimeters. Naruto felt the brush of Gamagazou's jagged sword on his shoulder and a sudden jolt from the scroll. He blinked, not expecting to open his eyes again.

But open them he did, and the dozens of weapons were held at bay by… cloth? Ragged silk cloth?

Naruto blankly looked to his person to find the previously restrained human standing around him. The man literally circled him like cloth that came in and out of a bodily frame, a manic look about him.

"Not yet!" the man shouted at the toads with glee and a giggle, "You think I'd let you take our summoner?!"

Gamagazou retracted his weapon from the taut cloth that withheld it for another strike. "**No! Kill them! Whatever it takes! **_**Now**_**!**"

The man turned a little to Naruto, their faces inches apart. "Now worries, Summoner! I'll serve ya good!"

Naruto gazed at his summon, still gathering that he was alive. Then everything hit him at once, and his instinct for survival arose. "Yeah," he nodded with fearful anxiety, "Get me out of here... whatever it takes…"

* * *

I was gonna post this earlier when it was shorter, but it just felt too fillerish. I figured it'd be better for such an early chapter to not end on a simple factual note instead of an uncertain one.

Now the question is, who do YOU think is telling the truth? The toads or the humans?! (It's a hypothetical question, don't really answer it. There's still more evidence to come along)

As for the pairing, just know that there is one. But, if I do this right, it will be uncertain until the turning point. I'm not a large fan of predictability (despite the fact I do it all the fricken time...).

Quick question for you guys though: Has anyone ever actually SEEN an official 'human summon' in any Naruto fic yet? I know I said it a bit in jest last chapter, but now I'm really curious. I can't seem to find anything (other than an omake joke or two).


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